USPS May Have Lost My Return. How do I proceed?

[BillM223]

@TH-3

As you can see form the discussion above, this is an IRS/USPS issue - TurboTax has no control over it.

As you know, it is very difficult to contact the IRS and the USPS because of (1) the pandemic, (2) huge backlogs of work, (3) the year 2020 in general...

Since the IRS is a federal agency and the USPS gets money from Congress, you might contact your own congressperson's office. Queries from a Congressman/woman sometimes has salutatory effects on government agencies in terms of finding things and cutting red tape.

At the least, this may help remind your congressional representative to stop cutting the IRS' budget.

[gretchhub]

This is way to common.  The USPS is not scanning all envelopes.  They put a ton of mail into a truck going to the last zip code which is all IRS mail.  Most of it does not have to be scanned but some of it does.  They mix it together going out of the last real USPS office and they miss some of the scannable ones at the IRS zip code so the last scan recorded is at the office before the IRS.  It is a god awful mess.  If you owe money it is easy to tell, your check will be cashed and the money out of your account within 6 weeks from mailing.  Refunds you will not have a clue if they got it or not as there will never be any further tracking.  I would wait at least 6 weeks before filing again.  Then check where is my refund on IRS.gov , most likely it is not lost just not scanned and who knows when they will get to the refunds.  In 2020 the IRS had to send out 2nd checks for interest payments on the late 2019 refunds because they were so late.  I expect that will happen again this year.  Maybe it will get better after Biden removes that Trump appointee from the head of the USPS.

[gretchhub]

Join the club.  They only refund you the certification fee.  You don't get the mailing fee back.  Most likely it is not lost, just not scanned at the last zip code which has all IRS mail mixed together (regular mail with scannable envelopes).  You can thank Trump's appointee for this great service.

[gretchhub]

@Omar80,

The Austin Distribution center is the last scan you will ever see.  The next hop is the IRS zip code and they miss a lot of the scannable mail mixed in with the regular mail.  Most likely the IRS has it, it is just in the 16 bazillion returns they have not gotten to yet.  I am still waiting for my 2019 return to show up in the system from 7/15/2020 and now my 2020 return from 3/30/2021.  Welcome to the club of WTF happened to my return?

[gretchhub]

Welcome to the club.  Excessive patience is all I can recommend until we get new leadership at the post office.  And maybe some legislators willing to repeal the 75 pension funding requirement (that includes people not even born yet) that no business could ever do, that is crippling the USPS.

[lrafiner]

Hi there,

Any luck hearing anything on your return?

Similar situation here.  I filed by mail (because I had to b/c social security office has my birthdate wrong.... this is my first time filing too!  I'm 19) and tracking shows it delivered in Ogden, UT on 12 March 21.  When I go to the IRS refund tracker, it continues to just state:  We cannot provide any information about your refund. Be sure to:

• verify your filing date;
• check with your tax preparer

Hopeless.  Then they tell me not to file again if I have already... meanwhile the deadline is in a week.  Ridiculous.    I can only hope that my tracking # and receipt covers me from being 'late' b/c at this point, it wouldn't surprise me if its lost.  

[CatinaT1]

I'm sure it has been received and they will go by the postmark date.  If you mailed it, it will take a long time to get processed.  Keep checking Where's My Refund.

According to this IRS update as of May 7th:     

The IRS is now opening mail within normal timeframes. The IRS has also made significant progress in processing prior year returns. As of April 30, 2021, we had 1 million individual tax returns received prior to 2021 in the processing pipeline. Including current year returns, as of April 30, 2021, we had 17.1 million unprocessed individual returns in the pipeline. Unprocessed returns include those requiring correction to the Recovery Rebate Credit amount or validation of 2019 income used to figure the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC). This work does not require us to correspond with taxpayers but does require special handling by an IRS employee so, in these instances, it is taking the IRS more than 21 days to issue any related refund. If, as a result, a correction is made to any RRC, EITC or ACTC claimed on the return, the IRS will send taxpayers an explanation. Taxpayers are encouraged to continue to check Where’s My Refund? for their personalized refund status and can review Tax Season Refund Frequently Asked Questions.  

How long you may have to wait: The IRS understands the importance of timely processing of tax returns and refund issuance. We are processing returns received over the summer and fall in 2020 due to the extended July 15, 2020 tax filing due date. While the majority of 2019 refund returns have been processed, in some cases, we are processing tax returns that were mailed with a payment even though payment associated with these returns have been processed by the IRS. However, we are rerouting tax returns and taxpayer correspondence from locations that are behind to locations where more staff is available, and we are taking other actions to minimize any delays. Tax returns are opened in the order received. As the return is processed, it may be delayed because it has a mistake including errors concerning the Recovery Rebate Credit, is missing information, or there is suspected identity theft or fraud. If we can fix it without contacting you, we will. If we need more information or need you to verify that it was you who sent the tax return, we will write you a letter. The resolution of these issues depends on how quickly and accurately you respond, and the ability of IRS staff trained and working under social distancing requirements to complete the processing of your return.  

What you should do: If you filed electronically and received an acknowledgement, you do not need to take any further action other than promptly responding to any requests for information. If you filed on paper, check Where’s my refund? If it tells you we have received your return or are processing or reviewing it, we are processing your return, but it may be under review. We’re working hard to get through the backlog. Please don’t file a second tax return or contact the IRS about the status of your return.  

[jg68]

There's no need to blame a specific administration. My experience with the IRS has been trash starting with the Obama administration.

[tonygry]

File a claim (for insured items meeting the appropriate timeframe). Visit your local Post Office™ location for assistance in filling out a Missing Mail request. Call [phone number removed] (1-800-ASK-USPS) to ask for the phone number for your local Consumer Affairs office regarding a Missing Mail request.click on usps

[EllenLB]

I recommend cutting the crap and getting to the heart of the matter.

I mailed my 2020 Form 4868 - Extension of time to file, with a hefty check, on the due date. I mailed it certified mail, and I can see from the tracking that it was received by my local post office (where I mailed it). That's it - trail goes cold from here. It's been two days short of one month. The check has not been cashed and the IRS has no record of receiving any 2020 filings from me.

You will not get help from USPS, so stop wasting your time barking up that tree. Yes, my situation was "resolved" too. Except not delivered.

My recommendations:

1) Keep and copy your certified mail receipt.

2) Track the certified mail details and print out any records you can find.

3) If you mailed a check, check with your bank to make sure it has not been cashed.

4) Call [phone number removed] and select 1 for English and 1 for making an appt. Be very patient. Sometimes they tell you they can't handle the call volume and hang up. Try again.

5) When you get through, get the advisor's name and badge number. Write it down, just in case you get cut off for some reason maybe you can track that person down.

6) The first question will be whether you want to make an appointment. The answer is YES, please.

7) The second question will be about the issue. Describe your situation.

😎 Apparently the purpose of the Make an Appt phone service is to avoid making appointments. And this is the best part – they will help you with your problem to reduce the number of in-person appts. Bingo!

The nice lady I got was able to grant an extension for me for 2020.  Then she guided me to the online payment area so that I could make a payment.

I WILL NEVER SEND A CHECK THROUGH THE MAIL TO THE IRS AGAIN. Or to anyone that I can prevent.

I suspect that after I file my return, the IRS will notify me that I owe a penalty for sending the payment nearly a month late. This is where the documentation comes in. I'll need to respond by mail showing the certified mail receipt, the tracking info, etc. Maybe it will get me out of some of the penalty.

Good luck to you!

[Ziganne]

It's scary how many other people this has happened to! I first mailed my 2020 Federal and State returns on March 23, 2021. I used Certified Mail. When I didn't get my Federal refund after three months, I tracked them and learned that USPS had lost both packages. There was no insurance, so I had no recourse. I filed both returns again on July 2, 2021, this time via two-day Priority Mail. I received my Federal refund quickly thereafter, but when I tracked the state return, I found USPS had lost it AGAIN. I started to file a claim, but my tax return apparently has no value as far as the post office is concerned. It's a lot of trouble to get a refund for a couple of dollars in mailing fees. Now I must file my state taxes again, this time at the end of July--three months late and four months after I originally filed. It's official--the U.S. Post Office is broken. I've relied on them for decades, never dreamed this could happen. I originally tried to e-file, but my return was rejected twice because of a misplaced decimal that I couldn't change on the electronic version.  I'm beyond frustrated. 

[Gar77]

I am sorry to hear this.

The same has happened to us too.

We have always sent our returns USPS Priority Mail with insurance, tracking…

This year they lost our Fed return. I contacted them once we found out that’s why we have not received any return, no help only bad attitude from them. They literally said there is nothing we can do about it, except place a freeze on all three credit files and call the IRS and let them know. USPS is pathetic and not to be trusted with anything anymore.

Good luck with getting in contact with this IRS too. We spent hours attempting to get through to them, waste of time.

I have always been skeptical of e-filling and ended up recently having to do so, because no one can trust the USPS to make a delivery with anything now days, sad days for sure.

If you have a return from the Feds, no worries, just refile, you have three years to file a tax return.

If you owe them money, then you need to talk to a tax professional.

We refiled our return this time by e-file, can’t be worse then trusting USPS by mailing it, and I really don’t think FedEx is any better now days.

Hope this helps.

[Ziganne]

I thought I must be the only one, but I'm shocked to hear there are others. On my third attempt, I took my return to a mail store. I wanted to use a different delivery service, but they said UPS, FedEx, etc. only handle packages. However, after they sent it through USPS, tracking showed the IRS received my return a few days later. It cost me $7 to mail a 1st class manila envelope but it was worth it.

I had to mail some semi-important papers today, and I felt only dread as I dropped them into the mail slot at the post office. They still haven't resolved the "investigation" into my lost returns from four and two months ago. Even if they do, all I will get is my postage back. I fear the USPS is broken.

[ghupp920]

No improvement this year. 
I mailed our Calif state return on April 6 certified. The tracking has showed it sitting in the Sacramento distribution center with "in transit" status since April 8. Reading this thread I assumed they just failed to do the delivery scan, but I used the USPS tracking site to set up text notification of my delivery anyway. 
This morning, April 22, well after tax day, the system texted me that it was delivered this morning. I suppose mine could have been misplaced, but maybe they just held the entire delivery to FTB until 5 days late??  Very disturbing either way.
About a week ago I also used the USPS website to file a "lost mail" complaint. After you submit, a generic message pops up saying essentially "Oh, were your taxes not delivered on time? We often don't do delivery scans. We know this is disappointing. Better check with your tax agency instead to see if they got it."

[J111]

Turbo Tax is NEGLIGENT for not making this clear on their instructions page for mailing.  For a company that only does taxes, they sure miss a ton of details like these.  Ridiculous.... I am always on the hunt for viable alternatives.